The Nest was roaring with cheer Saturday night as the Sacramento State gymnastics team prepared to take flight against Air Force.

It had been over 600 days since the last time the Hornets played in The Nest after their season was canceled due to COVID-19 complications, and the Hornets fed off of the energy of the crowd to secure a 194.225 – 194.000 comeback victory. 

The Hornets were just happy to be back in their nest.

Sac State saw initial success on the vault, as they dominated the Falcons (Air Force) in that regard. Freshmen Grace Gilman and Sarah Fitzgerald finished in first and second place respectively for the Hornets on the vault, with Gilman attaining a score of 9.800, and Fitzgerald finishing with a 9.775.

The Falcons showed some resilience, however, in the unparalleled bar and the balance beam, ending with Air Force having two top three finishes in both of those events.

After a nearly two-year hiatus, Sac State started their season with three road matchups, and senior gymnast Amber Koeth said it was tough not having a home crowd. 

“Being home was just exciting,” Amber Koeth said. “Minus the gymnastics, minus what we did today, just being able to be back where we call home is just so much fun. The energy was awesome.”

It was also the first home meet ever for nine of the 18 players on the roster who were either true freshman or redshirt freshman due to their season being canceled last year. 

The last time redshirt freshman Emma Morgenthaler participated in a match was for her club team in high school, but she said the atmosphere could not compare to what she experienced in her home college debut.

“I haven’t felt like this in a long time because being in [a] club in high school, it’s nothing compared to this,” Morgenthaler said. “[The] energy was super high, everyone’s cheering,  everyone was happy.”

Home meet or not, coach Randy Solario’s philosophy remains the same, and it all starts with having fun. 

“Our philosophy here is if you’re not having fun doing the sport, it’s too hard, so don’t do it,” Solario said. 

The results of the match could not have been any more pleasing for a program returning for its first meet in over two years.

The Hornets leaned on a strong performance in the floor exercise event to edge out a close score for the judges. Senior Amber Koeth and freshman Grace Gilman both finished top four, with scores of 9.900 and 9.875.

Coming in with a final score of 194.225 afer the floor event, the Hornets were able to edge out the Falcons who finished with a score of 194.000.

The Hornets next meet is Friday, Feb.11 at the Nest against UC Davis at 7 p.m.